Bats and Justice
by GothamCraze
Summary: Dick Grayson was forced to take up the mantle of Batman as Bruce was called by the League to go to Thanagar and while Dick was in the midst of a dilemma between being Batman and flying solo in Bludhaven, Joker has escaped from Arkham bringing with him all horrors the Gothamites don't want to face. Can the new Batman and his team of crime fighters stop them?
1. Gotham's Heroes

**I have decided to start my story from the very beginning as I felt the plot was too unsatisfactory, So I have come up with a new plot and this one's much better!**

 **Oh and in this story I have made a lot of changes to the plots and I have decided to add "back story" type of things in a few chapters. Also I made the Wayne household a big family meaning "Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie and Cassandra" live together and they're the children of Bruce whilst "Barbara" is an outsider who's new to Gotham, Sorry! It's for the story so I hope you understand.**

 **Before I start uploading chapters, I want to introduce you to a few main characters who'll appear a lot and some of whom are my creations, So here they are;**

 **Dick Grayson** (Batman. He is 23 in this story. Originally Nightwing but due to Bruce's mission with the JLA, He takes the mantle)

 **Jason Todd** (Red Hood. He is 22 in this story and his partnership with one certain Bat is just fantastic)

 **Timothy Drake** (Red Robin. He is 21 in this story. He happens to be at the center of a beautiful romance)

 **Cassandra Cain** (Black Bat. She is also 21. I don't know her actual personality so I'm sorry if I'm wrong at describing her)

 **Stephanie Brown** (Batgirl. She is 21 but I started her out in the story as a 20 year old, You'll see why)

 **Barbara Gordon** (Normal citizen. She is 21. New to Gotham with a Wayne scholarship at Gotham University and lives with her two best friends)

 **Maria Chase** (A friend of Barbara who lives with her, She is also 21 and all three girls are of the same age)

 **Ellie Jackson** (Also a friend of Barbara who lives with her, She's British and also happens to be the love interest of a certain Bat)

 **Luke Fox** (Batwing. He is 23 and just so happens to be a classmate and close friend of Dick Grayson)

 **Katherine Kane** (Batwoman. She is also 23 and she works alone and although she has connections to the Bat family, She operates solo mostly)

 **Cissie King-Jones** (Arrowette. She is 21 and a part of an amazing chapter that you will surely love)

 **Artemis Crock** (Artemis. She is 23 and flies solo although she still works with the JLA)

 **Wally West** (Flash, No longer with the alias Kid Flash. He is 23. He may no longer be best friends with Dick but they are still close together)

 **Damian Wayne** (Still a months old baby and is currently living with one of Bruce's relatives in England)

 **Selina Kyle** (No longer Catwoman, She is 46 and is going to get married to Bruce Wayne soon)

 **Helena Bertinelli** (Huntress. She is 21 and she is part of an amazing chapter, Her appearances are very less though)

 **Dinah Lance** (Black Canary. She too is 21 and will play a huge part in a lot of chapters)

 **Bruce Wayne** (Batman. He is 47 and is also a fiancée of Selina Kyle, shame marriage was postponed due to his mission with the JLA)

 **So there's a list of the main characters but this is just a few, More and more will appear as the chapters flow by. Some of them are "Cassandra Sandsmark, Oliver Queen, Bart Allen, Bette Kane and among others" so just keep reading. Simple right?**

 **I will try and keep the story more Batman themed instead of mixing it with Young Justice and all, I'll try to make it more dark as in how Batman stories usually are. I also added a few villains from the latest releases by DC. Anyway, Stay tuned!**


	2. Prologue

**So here is the first chapter, Well not exactly a chapter. A "Prologue" to tell exactly what has happened.**

 **Prologue:**

Dick Grayson never thought this day would come, A day when he had to don the cowl that Bruce Wayne donned. Batman... A hero that often raises the topic "Man or Myth?" in the mainstream media. Very few have seen the supposed "Myth" and their encounters with the Bat is when they least expected for him to show up, When the stories of how the Batman saved them are being told to others, It is often brushed aside as rubbish by "The GCPD" and "The media" and also claim that the "Batman" (Or what the criminals say) is just a man playing around in a suit. To those who have encountered the Bat, They knew that as long as Batman was around, Gotham would be safe. As days go by, Batman sightings have become a regular occurrence from blurry photos and videos to supposed "leaked" footage of Batman taking down criminals blew the Internet. A good 3 months after the Batman sensation, More and more heroes made their way into the Newspapers, Phones, Computers and TVs among others. First of those new heroes being spotted was Robin and he was given a nickname "The Boy Wonder " by those who adored him and he quickly became a favorite among Superhero fans, Then came Batgirl after a few months ( **Not Barbara, but Stephanie** ) and by now over 16 heroes have been spotted in Gotham. People are now starting to believe that Batman wasn't a "Myth" after all.

 **Red Hand Terrorist Attack in New York. 1 Year Ago;**

When Gotham was taken over by a terrorist group by the name " **The Red** **Hand** ", The New Yorkers were terrified and had to fear death the moment they opened their doors or windows as they shot anything that moved. They were a menace upon the people of New York. As Batman and his team were working on how to infiltrate The Red Hand's new base camp in Manhattan, Batman decided to tell the people of New York to remain calm. He decided to do this because New York was falling and it's people are trying to escape from the clutches of the terrorist group. Very few made it out and unlucky ones were tied and knelt on the streets if caught, Unfortunate ones were shot on the spot. NYPD was no more and cops deserted after being overmatched by the terror group. The US Army was too cautious to make a move so it was down to Batman and his children to save New York. Though the young vigilantes under the tutelage of Batman suggested it was a bad move, They had to agree with Batman in the end for what needs to be done. Dick Grayson still clearly remembers what BlackBat said that very night _"I don't want to show myself to the public but for what's worth I agree with Bruce, I as BlackBat and you with your own names can provide a sense of security and hope for the people of New York. Our civilan IDs are not in danger so there's no risk."_ She was right, They had nothing to lose and so began the hacking of New York's TV stations and everything related to the screens. Some 47 minutes later Batgirl was succesful in directing every thing to their camera, She gave a "Thumbs up" to Batman signaling ready and soon enough, Batman appeared on screens, Radios and even on the screens Times Square. Batman's message was quite simple, He told the people not to fear anyone, to remain calm and that he and his team will save them. In that very message he intoduced the world to his team and people saw new introductions in Gotham Girl, Batwing and Dick Grayson with his new alias "Nightwing". Batman did exactly what he said he'd do and soon enough, The terror group surrendered after their leader was confronted by Batman. New York was safe now and a JLA ship which had Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Arrow onboard hovered above New York after 7 hours of liberation much to Batman's annoyance for not coming to help earlier. It was a shame though as Batman never made a public appearance anymore after that one night in New York.

 **Batcave;**

Fast forward 16 months and Batman was called up by the JLA for his sevices to help solve a virus outbreak in Thanagar alongside Super man, Hawk Man, Green Arrow, Flash, Wonder Woman and Cyborg. It was a mission he cannot turn down as Thanagar needs all the help she can get and with it's own people killing each other, It will drive the people of Thanagar into extinction. A cure needs to be researched. Also given the fact that the people of Thanagar looks down on humans, A human helping them might trigger them to look towards humans more favourably and Bruce did not want to pass up this opportunity. Before Bruce left he left an audio clip in the Batcave's main computer and it was titled "Nightwing" and had a password on it, That's it. The younger Bats wanted to open the clip but since Dick and Bruce were the only ones who knew each other's passwords, They never did got the chance to listen to it. 12 hours later and when Nightwing was finally alone in the cave, He played the clip;

 _"Dick, I know that you are moving to Bludhaven to fight crime and track down the Judge but before you go solo I want you to do something for me. I have left Earth and by the time you see this, I might be lightyears away. Nobody in the cave knows I have left and it is because I am called upon by the JLA for my services for a very important mission. Now that you know the reason why I am leaving, What I want you to do is to wear my cowl and take up your identity as Batman. I understand you changed your alias to Nightwing to fly solo but this city...needs Batman. Bludhaven can wait, I have dispacted a newly formed squadron of Artemis, Batwing and Black Canary to track down the Judge in your absence instead. You may refer to them as Indy squad. The apartment you decided to rent, I have bought it and it is now a Wayne property. Indy squad current residence is the very apartment you're renting and it is a base of operations for now. Back to Gotham, Why I want you to do this is because you are the eldest in this family and you know best how much Batman is needed in Gotham. I have always considered you my heir and I want you to be Batman. Another reason is there are a lot of maniacs inside Gotham's leaky prison and sooner or later they'll escape and run riot in the city, Some of those maniacs include Bane, Killer Croc, Deathstroke and my old friend in Joker. You may say that your brothers and sisters are good enough to take care of them but No. No, They aren't and without a leader figure, They will crumble at their hands and Gotham will become a troubled city. You are the eldest and I expect you to act like it. The family respects you and look up to you. Be the Batman that Gotham needs, look after your family and the Gothamites. You are no longer 8 years old, You are 23 now, mature and understanding enough to be a leader. I want you to take my place and fill the void as the leader of the Bats. I know it's very sudden but your brothers and sisters need a leader and I hope you understand, Batman out!"_ Batman sounded warm for once.

Dick sat there in front of the computer frozen after listening to the clip, He wanted to be Nightwing, A solo vigilante not the old Bat! He never wanted to be Batman. No. He did, Maybe when he was 16 but things have changed. Turning his head to face the Batman suit being displayed, Dick understood the suit represented a protector, an intimidator against the criminals and a great hero of the night. The suit belonged to the World's Greatest Detective. An inferiority complex struck him when thinking about the huge boots he has to fill, Will he be as intimidating as Batman? Can he be a detective like Bruce was? Can he be a leader and a guide like Bruce was? His mind kept asking questions but this was what Bruce wanted him to do and thinking of the other Bats, They need a guide, a leader, a brother and thinking of what he wanted, He wanted to take down the Judge, fly solo and start a life in Bludhaven. He was in a dilemma. He had to make a decison and so he ignored the latter. Walking over to the Batman suit, His hand made it's way towards the Bat symbol on the chest and there he thought, " _I think I'll do it, Bruce!"_. Now, Batman patrols Gotham once again. Same cowl outside but a different person underneath. A new chapter starts in his life and he's not sure if he can do it but as Dick Grayson, He believes he can!

 **Whew! There's the end of the prologue and I hope you enjoyed it! I am working on Chapter 1 now and will try to release it as soon as possible so stay tuned!**

 **I thought of adding like "back story" type of things starting from next chapter. Mostly about what happened before and such. What do you think? Should I do it? It would also give me more imagination to write so... Anyway your call!**

 **Leave a review if you enjoyed and criticism is much appreciated!**


End file.
